Nine Romanians jailed after £700,000 cash machine thefts including in Hampshire

The nine men were part of a criminal network operating under the tagline of F*** The Police. They stole £700,000 by bypassing ATM security systems.

Between February and December 2024, they were responsible for late night raids at 51 places in England and Scotland. Based in Romania, but operating out of Luton, the gang deployed lookouts to keep watch as they used sophisticated digital devices to help withdraw cash during more than 3,300 separate transactions.

An investigation was led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, who seized evidence including complex chipboards programmed to manipulate the ATMs. And 18 homes were raided in Romania last summer - with a Lamborghini and Porsche seized - including a raid on stronghold-style property where the gang’s ‘FTP’ moniker had been carved into a front gate and was emblazoned on the floor of a swimming pool.

This month Ionut Pogar, 32, of no fixed address was sentenced to three years and one month imprisonment, after admitting conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to launder money. Silviu Alistar, 32, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to the same offences and was sentenced to two years and three months.

The following co-defendants were sentenced last year, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to launder money:

• Alex Munteanu, 38, of no fixed address - sentenced to four and a half years’ imprisonment.
• Constantin Boghiu, 25, of Kimpton Road, Luton - sentenced to three years and three months.
• Alex Militaru, 25, of High Street Watton, Thetford - jailed for two years and five months.
• Marius Chifan, 34, of St Catherines Avenue, Luton - sentenced to three years and three months.
• Gabriel Rosu, 33, of Flowers Way Luton - sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment.
• Cristian Cimpoesu, 28, of no fixed address - sentenced to 18 months.
• Razvan Verde, 31, of no fixed address (he also admitted a further charge of possession of articles for use in fraud) was sentenced to four years and four months.

Detective Inspector Dan Barker, from ERSOU, said: “This was a complex and far‑reaching investigation into an organised crime group responsible for dozens of attacks on cash machines across the UK. Their offending was persistent, coordinated, and carried out on an almost industrial scale. Tracking their movements, linking more than 3,000 fraudulent withdrawals, and uncovering the technology behind their offending required extensive work both here and overseas.

“During our investigation, officers also recovered a cash machine the offenders had purchased from China, with clear indications new technology was being developed for further offending - illustrating the lengths these criminals were prepared to go to commit crime and evade detection.”